Selling your home is a very personal matter, after all, it’s the place where memories have been made and where you have watched your family grow. Because of this, when selling your home, naturally you want compassion and someone understanding, so you don’t simply feel like another number.
The internet plays a huge part in the process of buying and selling properties, with the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla bigger than they have ever been it was only a matter of time before the whole concept of estate agency was taken online. Of course, the internet is open 24/7 365 days a year so it makes sense that it can be used as a tool in the process of buying, selling and renting. Whilst like anything there’s positives and negatives surrounding both the use of traditional and online estate agents, there’re many things that should be thrown into the argument before making your final decision.
The clear advantage of using a traditional bricks and mortar estate agent is the personal touch, selling your home is a big deal and knowing there is someone down the road who you can pop in and talk to throughout the process is really quite comforting for many. Online feels much more disconnected with a screen and keyboard between you and the team you’re dealing with. Whilst online has the convenience of being immediate when searching and viewing properties due to the instant effect the internet has, it depends on how much a vendor values the personal touches that a traditional estate agent can offer – plus, the online agent will have working hours too, meaning replies to your queries may not be quite so instant.
Then comes price and understanding of the local area – in many cases online agents use one agent for a wide area, sometimes up to 30 miles in radius, which bears the question of how knowledgeable they truly are of an area. All Belvoir agents are local people, they understand the local area, they know the streets and they know where the property market may move to within their area…if an online agent is covering such a large area, how can they guarantee that their knowledge can expand that far too?
When it comes to fees, when selling with a traditional high street agent, you pay your fees when your property has been sold, meaning the sale of the property becomes incentivised for the agent, who will be certain to work to sell your property and secure their fee. When selling online, the case with the majority of online agents is that whether they manage to sell your home or not, they will have a set fee that is charged for use of the service, therefore if you’re obligated to pay a fee either way, where does the incentive to proactively try and sell your property come from?
When you’re selling your home you’ll ultimately be looking for the full service. Many people still want to deal face to face with a traditional high street agent, however, some decide to move online. Whatever you do when you’re looking to buy, sell or rent, you need to ensure it’s entirely your decision and you have weighed up all options before proceeding.
